Manchester City's pricey defence needs more time to gel says Shay Given

27 October 2009 11:42

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The former Newcastle player has watched City's sound start to the season - keeping four clean sheets in their opening four games - give way to defensive uncertainty, despite the £38 million Hughes spent to bring Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott to the club, and he has now been beaten in each of City's last seven games.

Indeed, City were fortunate to escape from Eastlands on Sunday with a point against Fulham after Roy Hodgson's side created a host of clear-cut opportunities in addition to goals from Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey, the latter scoring from a set-piece, City's apparent Achilles heel in recent weeks.

Premier League Round-up: Wigan beat West Brom late on, Aston Villa held by Fulham'It will take a bit of time,' said the Irishman, 'we're all getting to know each other's games and we've had a lot of players come to the club in a short space of time. We have to look at the set-plays and see where we can get stronger.

'The games we were winning 1-0 and 2-0 earlier in the season came from clean sheets, and we have to get back to that and hopefully we will. Myself, the defenders and the team as a whole as a unit want to be defending better because clean sheets give you a great base.'